As a history buff, and softie at heart, I love old photographs and the family memories they represent and preserve.
Restoring severely damaged prints involves a digital capture or scan as a starting point (depending on image size). With the correct lighting, sometimes defects can be minimized.
In the restoration process, there is sometimes detective work, and often a bit of artistic license required. Copious amounts of Photoshop elbow grease are applied, as needed.
Whether it is a minor touch-up or major surgery, the results are always gratifying, and new archival prints will easily outlast the ones they reproduce.